Hell's the Deal
by accebar regina
Summary: A series of one shots centered on the movie Hell Chapter. These follow a range of characters but most will include Ichigo. If you haven't seen the movie, you'd probably be very confused trying to read these. Just a warning.
1. My Knight in Shinning Armor

Hello avid readers! Alright, if you haven't seen the Hell Chapter movie, don't bother with this because you will be _confused_. So I am hoping that this will be only the first of several one shots, but we will see, I suppose. In the mean time, enjoy this dazzling (or not so much) piece of literature! And all you flamers out there are welcome; I'm putting together a cook out and you would be great help ;)

Rukia's POV

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My Knight in Shining Armor

I had heard stories, back when I was younger, about the helpless princess who was caught by the evil witch, or trapped in a tower, or guarded by a dragon, countless stories of the damsel in distress. And always, the hero came to rescue her. The knight in shining armor charged in, defeated the foe, and saved the princess. And they all lived happily ever after.

I always thought these stories were stupid.

Seriously, the princess needs to grow a backbone. Women can stand up for themselves and that princess was just pathetic to think otherwise. I would never act like her. I would always make sure I could take care of myself.

When we had to go into Hell, I wasn't afraid. I could fight, I could defend myself. Of course, that doesn't mean I rely on my friends too. We all support each other in battle. But I'm not like the princess. I don't weigh my group down as a liability. I fight, and I win.

But then, we ended up in the third layer of Hell. Ichigo had gone before us to rescue his sister. The rest of us had stayed behind to make sure he could get there. We finally defeated the enemies though, and arrived just in time to come smack dab in the middle of a raging battle. Suddenly, Kokuto appeared in front of me and attacked me. He was too fast, and he took me off guard, I admit. I thought he was on our side. Then I heard Ichigo cry out, "Ishida! Rukia!" I tried to get up and answer his distressed call, but my body gave out. I collapsed.

And then I knew pain. Hell had come too claim me and attached its chain to my body. I felt it dragging me into Hell's depths, and I was helpless to stop it. _No! I will not give in. The others need help. Renji, Ishida, _Ichigo_. I have to go back!_ But Hell did not care about the whims of a mere human. I had been claimed.

I don't know how long passed. I just knew the pain of Hell's fires. …_Somebody…please…_I was tied to the chain. …_Help me….help…_ The chain was tied to Hell. …_Ichigo… _And Hell did not let go.

Then I felt myself reforming from the shapeless magma of Hell's grasp. I was reviving. _Finally, it's time. Now I can act. Find Renji and Ishida. Ichigo escaped at least; that I know. _And that small fact seemed to comfort me, just a little. Gasping for breath, I felt the lava leech out of my body as the chains solidified around me. Then I looked up, and what was the first thing I saw? "Ichigo! What are you-"

I gave a strangled gasp as I was dragged to my feet by the chain lodged in my chest. And I came face to face with Kokuto. I had the desire to spit in his face. But he grabbed my neck and stood perfectly at ease while he choked me. I could barely act, just take in shallow breath after shallow breath. All the while I kept finishing the question I had tried to ask Ichigo: _What are you doing here?_ Ichigo was supposed to be safely in the World of the Living, taking care of his sister. He wasn't supposed to come back; it was too dangerous for everyone else. Renji, Ishida, and I could have figured some way to escape. A part of me knew that wasn't true though, knew that I was lying to myself. But I ignored it. I could have figures something out; I wasn't a helpless princess.

I was abruptly jerked through the air, thrown by Kokuto like a discarded rag doll. I landed with a sharp intake of breath on the rock and rolled to my side, trying to gather my jostled sensed. I heard Ichigo and Kokuto begin their fight, and I searched desperately for their location. _Ichigo! Ichigo! _No, he couldn't do this. He would lose control, destroy Hell's chains. He would kill himself. This final thought froze the breath in my lungs. When I finally found the two swordsmen I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. _There, he's still ok._

Then Ichigo's mask started to form. It was only for a moment but we all knew what the mask's appearance meant. My eyes widened and I whispered, "Ichigo." Fire erupted around me as the fight continued below. My muscles shook from exertion as I fought to push myself up. I felt so useless. I couldn't help! I couldn't even defend myself! I really was turning into a pathetic princess.

I finally staggered to my feet and stepped to the edge of the plateau, just in time to watch Ichigo transform. _No. _My breath quickened as I looked on. Ichigo struggled to overcome his hollow self, but he was losing. "Ichigo…Ichigo!" I shout in desperation. Arms suddenly grasped me from behind, and dragged me into the air. Kokuto effectively silenced me by gripping my neck again. I struggled uselessly in his grasp as Ichigo's desperate yells resounded around me. I couldn't get to him.

But then Ichigo spoke. His voice was warped by his mask, but he was still fighting. I looked on, my eyes slits against my pain, and watched as Ichigo, fought, and won against his hollow. _Yes, Ichigo. You can overcome it._ But the guards of Hell were coming, drawn by the dangerous reiatsu surrounding Ichigo with his hollow powers. He didn't seem to notice, his entire focus was upon overcoming the will of his inner hollow, amplified by Hell itself. Ichigo didn't notice, but I did. I gazed on, trapped, as one of the guards moved to loom over Ichigo, its hand raised high above its head in fatal preparation. "Ichigo!" He needed move, or he would be crushed! "Run! Ichigo!" He wasn't moving, wasn't even acknowledging the imminent threat above him. All of his being was focused on Kokuto as he called out his defiance. He. Wasn't. Moving. "Ichigo!" My yells grew louder as I felt desperation and panic well up in me. "ICHIGO!"

The hand came down, and it didn't miss. My eyes widened in disbelief. _No._

My despairing thoughts were broken as blinding golden light appeared; shining through the cracks in the Hell guard's flattened hand. Kokuto started laughing madly, and I looked on in dread as we both watched the hand rise, pushed up by the force it had recently tried to crush. Kokuto's deranged joy was cut off, however, as we both caught a glimpse of the man that the golden light was surrounding. This was no hollofied monster, set on the one goal of killing all who opposed it. No, this was something unbelievable. I only saw a flash of the man though, before I was torn from Kokuto's grasp by the sheer force of the power emanating from the center of the light. The waves of force knocked me off of the plateau and I suddenly found myself plummeting though the air, screaming. The breath was knocked out of me as I hit something, but it wasn't the ground. Actually, it was more like something hit me, because I quickly realized I had been caught and was clutched tightly in Ichigo's arms.

We landed with a jolt and I toppled out of Ichigo's grasp, landing beside him. A chain fell to the ground in front of me and I realized in amazement that it was my own. _But, then Ichigo…? _And for the first time I looked up at the man standing next to me.

And my breath left me; I was stunned.

Ichigo stood, proud and determined, encased in golden armor. He held his sword in his hand and fire in his eyes. _He looks like a knight. _The thought came to my mind, unbidden, and it stuck before I could erase it. Because it was true. _Of course,if he's the heroic knight, would that make me the damsel in distress?_ I scoffed at that. Rukia Kuchiki is _not _a helpless damsel! But then, as if the world was just waiting to prove me wrong, Ichigo started speaking and a golden glow encased his entire being as he leveled his sword at Kokuto. Ichigo challenged Kokuto, his righteous words ringing in the air, as sharp as the blade he used to deliver the final blow. Kokuto was thrown back, and, as he heaved himself up once more, Hell moved in to claim him once more. We both watched on as Kokuto was encased in chains and dragged back into the deeper parts of hell.

And then it was finished. A soft light filtered down like a spotlight to capture us in its glow, as if Hell was proving that we really had won. I looked up at Ichigo again, and I didn't try to stop my thoughts this time. Because I knew I would be lying to myself if I did. Ichigo really was a knight in shining armor, all the time. And more importantly, he was my knight in shining armor. And, well, if that made me the princess in need of rescue, I could accept it. Just this once.

Ichigo raised his hands in victory, shouting out his relief, and my eyes softened as I smiled at him. I couldn't help but congratulate him and he responded with an easy smile. We were just starting to wonder where Renji and Ishida were when they made their appearance, crawling out from the rubble they had been buried in. Both of them looked taken aback when they caught sight of Ichigo, and obviously Renji and Ichigo started and argument about Ichigo's get up as soon as Reji detached himself from the ground. Fed up, Ichigo followed Renji's urgings and released the powers of Hell that had given him the armor. What neither of those two idiots had though through, was the fact that Ichigo's power was the only thing keeping Hell's guards from attacking us. The guards arrived promptly and didn't waste any time getting to work.

The four of us ended up having to sprint out of Hell, guards chasing us all the while. If Ichigo hadn't been so rash, we could have just walked out. But no, Ichigo and Renji had to get hotheaded and now the four of us were back in the fight as we ran to the gate. Then again, if we had just been able to walk out, it would have been because Ichigo was escorting us. And only sissy princesses got escorted. I suddenly didn't mind having to fight my way out. I am _not _a helpless princess.


	2. Step Back From the Edge Part 1

Hey! So next up is Ichigo and Byakuya. This isn't necessarily a romantic scene, but I suppose it's open enough to go either way? I'm not actually happy with this one. Something's off but I don't know how to fix it. Help me out? As always, I'm having a cook out so you're welcome to bring some flames! Enjoy :)

** Step Back from the Edge**

**Part 1: Let Me Carry Some of Your Burden**

They entered Hell. No one had realized the circumstances until it was too late; no one had been there to stop them. His sister was taken and that substitute soul reaper had dashed straight through the gate without a second's thought or hesitation. Though that really wasn't surprising, given this was Ichigo Kurosaki. Then the situation grew troublesome. Ichigo Kurosaki, unleashing the hollow power within him, had broken the otherwise invincible chains and nearly destroyed Hell's gate. The Soul Society was now sprinting to minimize the damage and contain the miasma seeping out of the gate. The captains were gathered to discuss the progression. That was when he returned, carrying a dying sister and half mad in his desperation. When the girl, Orihime Inoue, failed to heal his sister, you could see his control shatter. Eventually, he was escorted to a tent in the camp Soul Society had set up where he stayed, keeping watch over the sister who, lying in a bed a few feet away from him, was most likely already dead.

Byakuya Kuchiki had witnessed all of this and now he stood just outside the tent's entrance, unnoticed by either the hurrying soul reapers before him, or the grieving substitute inside. Byakuya listened in dissatisfaction to Ichigo's gasping breath as the soul reaper tried to keep his emotions in check. Then Byakuya inwardly cringed, just a little, as he heard the other shinigami fail in his endeavor and let out strangled sobs. This wasn't right.

If asked, Byakuya would assure anyone that he was not on friendly terms with the brash, orange haired soul reaper. He would say that Ichigo Kurosaki was uncouth, rude, and thoughtless, and therefore, was a pointless person for Byakua to involve himself with. But this was only partially true. Yes, the substitute soul reaper was uncouth, rude, and thoughtless, but he only acted this way sometimes. When he wasn't being a complete impeccable, Byakua knew, through first hand observation, that Ichigo Kurosaki was cool headed, determined, smart. Byakua also knew that Ichigo Kurosaki had a raging spirit that enabled him to pull through anything and that pushed him to protect all those he cared about. That same spirit was what had led Ichigo into the depths of Hell without a second's hesitation. Because one of the people closest to him, one of the people Ichigo swore to always protect, and one of the people that truly needed all of his protection, was taken from him, stolen from right between his fingers. And his fiery spirit deemed that grossly unacceptable. But his spirit wasn't so fiery at the moment. His spirit was broken, because Ichigo Kurosaki had, for once, failed. Yes, he had gotten his sister out of Hell, but she was, to the best of anyone's knowledge dead; a chain formed though her chest, tying her to the realm of spirits. Not only were that, but Ichigo's friends, those companions who had braved Hell alongside him for the sake of their bond, were trapped in Hell. They had sacrificed themselves to allow Ichigo to escape with his sister.

Faced with all of these facts, and the condemning words the head captain had addressed to Ichigo upon the soul reaper's return, Ichigo had shattered. His actions shook him to the core, and he was now wobbling on the edge.

Byakuya knew this wasn't right. A shattered soul didn't belong in the aggravating, thoughtless, self-sacrificing, and eternally caring young soul reaper Byakuya had come to understand. And Byakuya would admit, if only in the privacy of his own mind, that he was unsettled by it.

There it was again, that broken sob, wrenched from Ichigo's chest to tear through the air. Byakuya suddenly knew that he could not leave while the substitute soul reaper was still so hopeless. Ichigo Kurosaki did not belong among those sorts of emotions. He belonged among the annoyingly optimistic, the incredibly stubborn, and above all, the inspiringly self sacrificing that were willing to carry the world on their shoulders while still possessing the strength to take a little more. Byakuya decided he wouldn't leave until Ichigo was once again in possession of those positive pieces of himself, or at least, until he was on his way to regaining them.

Then again, perhaps not everything was fixable. For Ichigo, the conflict surrounding his sister had hit close to home. Byakuya wondered, who was he to try to lift this burden from the grieving soul reaper? Who was he to try to take the anguish consuming such a person head on? Yet, Byakuya knew that he would try anyways. He stepped inside the tent.

"Pardon me." Ichigo's head jerked up in surprise and he turned to find the owner of the cool, detatched voice. "Byakuya…" Ichigo stated in surprise, trailing off a little. He then broke eye contact with Byakuya, looking instead away, at the floor.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, why are you avoiding my eye?" Byakuya challenged while maintaining his sangfroid attitude. He decided in directness, wanting to get straight to the heart of the other man's troubles.

He replied haltingly, his words quiet. "I left them, Rukia, Renji, and Ishida, down there. I left them all." Here he turned a little to face Byakuya again, but Ichigo still refused to look up at him. He suddenly brought up one arm and clenched it tightly in the fist of his other hand, trying in vain to contain the shaking that overcame him. "And Yuzu…I've let everybody down!" His voice sounded so despairing as he scrunched his eyes shut.

Byakuya paused. What was he to say? He couldn't stay quiet for too long though, or Ichigo would just slip back into his depressed mind. How could he tell the man what he needed to know? And how could he make Ichigo listen? Byakuya steeled himself.

"So what?"

Ichigo stopped trembling and looked up at him in disbelief, almost as if what Byakuya said hadn't quite registered in his mind. "Byakuya?" he repeated. Then he seemed to compute Byakuya's words and he pushed himself to his feet, grabbing the front of Byakuya's clothing. Yet even then, there wasn't much strength behind his actions. He was still too weighed down. "Rukia, your sister, is in Hell!" Ichigo told him. Again, though, his words weren't nearly as angry as they would have been under different circumstances. It was more like he was strongly stating an opinion than actually yelling. "They did everything to get me out…" he sounded so frustrated and so grief stricken when he said this. As he shook Byakuya by the grip on his clothing, Ichigo started that dreadful trembling again.

Byakuya closed his eyes and remained impassive, but on the inside, his mind was hurrying, trying to find the words that would lift this burden from Ichigo's shoulders. He had an idea, but he would have to be a little harsh to get his point across. In a neutral voice he answered, "Rukia is a honorable shinigami. She knows what she is doing." Ichigo's grip on Byakuya relaxed slightly and he looked up at the older soul reaper. Byakuya opened his eyes to, finally, see Ichigo meeting him eye to eye. Byakuya continued, letting some rebuke color his words. "If they decided you should be the one to escape, you better start thinking about their intentions."

Ichigo released him then, backing away, his eyes losing some of their wild gaze. Had Byakuya's words worked? He felt that, perhaps, he had seen something just then, in the dark depths of Ichio's eyes. It was something that gave him some small hope. Maybe he had succeeded. He now needed to leave and let the younger soul reaper think over his words in peace. He turned away. "Sorry to intrude."

A dark pink light suddenly sprang up behind the two shinigami. They turned to see Yuzu lifting into the air, still unconscious, as the pink light surrounded her. Ichigo called out to her. "Yuzu? Yuzu!" Then the chain, the one connecting her body to the spirit world, started dissolving. Ichigo ran to her, continuing to call her name. Byakuya, upon seeing the chain dissolve, felt his eyes widen in shock before he quickly turned out of the tent to get help. Orhime, seeming to have heard the commotion, had hurried over just as Byakuya stepped out and he motioned her inside. "Go in." He followed her running figure with his eyes to gaze back at the tent flap, behind which the commotion of the recovery was taking place. Ichigo Kurosaki. Byakuya nearly sighed. His sister was alive, at least. Perhaps that would give Ichigo energy to continue on. Because Byakuya knew that the broken soul reaper wouldn't be the same until his friends were back in the World of the Living.

Had Byakuya's words reached him? Byakuya was inclined to think that they had. Even if it was just wishful thinking, Byakuya let himself believe that Ichigo had heard him, that Ichigo would recover. Because a broken soul did not belong in such a man as Ichigo Kurosaki, and Byakuya knew it. Byakuya also knew that, no matter what, he would always step in to try and bring Ichigo back from the edge if the soul reaper strayed there again. After all, there was only so much such a person could take, before they needed someone else to lift a little off their shoulders and remind them that they didn't need to carry the world.


End file.
